Copper King wildfire burns 700 acres east of Thompson Falls

County budget work wraps up

MINERAL COUNTY – Mineral County Commissioners heard from the last few departments about their budgets at their meeting Friday, Sept. 12 and were in the process of finalizing the paperwork which will be sent to the state for final approval.

Alzheimer's Association offers free webinars

Enhance dementia communication with a free Alzheimer’s Association webinar

Legislation to keep an eye on

Another two weeks has gone by quickly here in Helena. The State of the State address summed up much of the recent activities. We still do not have bills passing out of both chambers yet to make final decisions become law, but bills are starting to cross from one chamber to the other.

Coach's journey from small town to world stage

PLAINS – If you were to ask the average college basketball fan what they remember from the 1987 NCAA Tournament, they will more than likely say Keith Smart’s shot that captured Indiana’s fifth national title against Syracuse.

Two men survive plane crash near Paradise; were headed to Seattle

Two men walked away from an airplane crash near Paradise on Tuesday, January 3.

Two survive plane crash near Paradise

Two men walked away from an airplane crash near Paradise on Tuesday morning.

Keeping in touch with Rep. Pat Ingraham

Our Speaker of the House, Mark Blasdel, began this 63rd Legislative Session by saying he wanted to make the session more about work, and less about political games. In the early days of this session, we heard addresses from Senator Max Baucus and Senator Jon Tester that echoed that same call.

Keeping in touch

In preparation for the upcoming legislative session, I have recently attended two meetings regarding health care challenges and the impacts the New Health Care Reform Laws are having on Montana.  While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HCERA) – commonly known as Obamacare - are undergoing legal challenges as to its constitutionality as well as individual states’ efforts to opt out of the federal legislation, such as The Freedom of Choice Act Constitutional amendment, these legal challenges and states actions have not deterred the implementation of some of the legislated changes which are, at the least, introducing new challenges for medical and insurance providers.

Hot Springs man arrested after three-hour standoff with police

HOT SPRINGS-- Local law enforcement responding to reports of

COLUMN: Play ball!

In our young minds, we were pioneers, the original “boys of summer”.

Pioneer Council adds two vans to transport fleet

The Mineral County Pioneer Council has been helping its residents get to and from medical appointments and it recently added two new vehicles to its fleet.

Legals for April, 17 2024

Garcia Loop county road debate continues

SUPERIOR – A continuing debate came before the Mineral County Commissioners during their weekly meeting as they discussed whether part of Garcia Loop was considered a county road. During the public comment period of the meeting, Mike and Judith Birr came to discuss the maintenance of the road onto their land. They were supposed to appear at the commissioner’s meeting last week but were unable to come. When the Birrs bought the land the road to get onto it belonged to the county and featured a railroad crossing. The railroad later moved the crossing and the original road became inaccessible. A new road, which was not recognized by the county, had to be constructed by the Birrs to get onto the land. When the landowners tried to take out a loan the bank refused because they were living on inaccessible land. They requested the land be declared a county road so the loan could be drawn. Duane Simons, commissioner of the county’s west end, was one of the commissioners at the time and said he remembered the agreement. As he remembered it, they agreed to adopt the road in name only. While it would be considered a county road the county would have no responsibility to maintain it. Simons felt the commissioners were doing the Birrs a favor by making the declaration. Judith disagreed and said she had not seen the county’s adoption of the road as a favor. She argued the road did not belong to her either and anyone could use it freely. When they argued for the road to be adopted by the county the Birrs presented evidence to support the idea it was publically accessible. Judith said she and her husband had spent $20,000 in attorney fees over two years to research the road laws. They also tried to negotiate with the railroad to find a solution. With no evidence to suggest the road was exclusively theirs she felt it was public and therefore belonged to the county. Because of this she thought the county should be responsible for maintaining it. “There was no explanation that made any sense and your county planner had ample opportunity, so did Rail Link, so did BNSF, so did any neighbor around there, to submit evidence that it was not public roadway,” Judith continued. “They didn’t do it, they didn’t do it at all.” Judith felt it was wrong for the county to suddenly stop caring for the road. As she saw it, the county had cared for it for 65 years, during which, several members of her family lived on the land. She felt it was not good for the county to suddenly drop the road after so many years of maintaining access to the land. Judith said she took the county’s refusal to plow the road personally. She felt there was more of a risk of fires on her street. Despite this, the other side got plowed while her road was inaccessible to emergency vehicles. Because the meeting was not on the regular agenda, Laurie Johnston, commissioner of the county’s central area, said they were unable to make a decision. It was also noted the county could only afford to plow so many roads with their budget and may need to abandon more roads in the future. Judith disagreed with this argument, saying the cutoff was very precise and it would not be a significant expense to do their road at the same time as others. Simons said it might help the commissioners understand the situation better if they saw the area in question. Mike and Judith said it was hard for them to get work off at the same time. It was also a big sacrifice for them to take the time off to go to a meeting. Because of the challenges in arranging everyone’s schedules, it was suggested the commissioners and the Birrs discuss the issue more over the phone. This way, anyone who could not make it in person could still be involved. The commissioners and the Birrs agreed to schedule a more official meeting to discuss the issue in the future. In the meantime, the commissioners plan to do more research into the issue to figure out all the options and concerns.

Dodgeball tourney benefits Trout Creek Archery Club

If you are going to do something to support a worthy cause, why not make it fun at the same time?

Legals for August, 16 2023

Memorial shoot held at Plains Trap Club

PLAINS - Over the weekend, the sounds of gun shots could be heard bouncing off the hills just outside of Plains. The Plains Trap Club was hosting a two day, all day trap shoot, which included not only a day full of shooting, but also camping, camaraderie and food. The event was said to be one of the biggest events for the Trap Club.

St. Regis Tigers clip Heat in 14C battle

The echoes of “wow!, what a game” had barely quit reverberating through the walls of the Hot Springs gym when the second game of the night got underway.

Big turnout for St. Regis Valentine’s Day dinner

Shrimp cocktails started the evening out followed by tossed salads. The main entre was prime rib, noodles alfredo, mashed potatoes and peas and carrots with a dessert being chocolate lava cake with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Plains Hospital achieves baby-friendly designation

Clark Fork Valley Hospital is proud to announce that it has achieved the highly prestigious international baby-friendly designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA, the organization responsible for bestowing this certification in the United States.